HISTORY OF ADI Re: IMR 4198 aka (ADI AR 2215) and H 4198 aka (ADI AR2207).
bigedp51 -
your history of the ADI/Thales and the Mulwala plant is a little different to mine.
A short summary of my understanding: Not long after WWII started, Australian Paper Manufacturing took part in a joint venture with the Australian government authoriies to investigate wood pulp for cellulose production. This originally started with the eucalypt trees but soon moved on to Radiata pine plantations in South Australia. In 1942 a study mission was sent to the US to investigate the opportunity for use this product in nitrocellulose production for use in cordite for the war effort. (This may or may not have been where Remington got involved?? - I believe Remington were contracted by Us Defence forces to source powder so may have been directly involved?? please fill in the gaps anyone that knows.). Production started at the Mulwala plant in 1943. Australian defence industries closed some of the plants below and moved powder production to this site at a later date.
Another plant: (extract from a government site) The Colonial Ammunition Company (CAC) built an ammunition factory on the river flats at Maidstone in 1889, aiming to reduce the colony’s dependence on imported munitions. In the early twentieth century CAC expanded their works to begin producing cartridge cases and bullets. The Commonwealth Government purchased the ammunition factory in 1928. During WWII the Ammunition factory was Australia’s largest and most important ammunition factory, employing over 9,000 workers, including many women. Australian Defence Industries took over the Ammunition Factory in 1989, closing it in 1994.
And another one (also extract from another gov site) Following a range of colonial initiatives, the nascent Commonwealth Government decided to establish the local manufacture of military cordite for small-arms ammunition and, in 1909, AE Leighton was appointed to design a cordite factory. The Victorian Government acquired the Maribyrnong land and passed it to the Commonwealth Government. Construction of buildings commenced in 1910 and the first production of guncotton occurred in November 1911. The first batch of nitroglycerine was produced in June 1912 and, a few days later, the first small arms cordite was manufactured. Also in 1912, a Remount Depot for the army was established on the eastern side of Remount Hill, taking over the Fisher Stables building and establishing a complex of associated facilities. Both establishments were formed in view of the worsening situation in Europe and, from 1914 to 1918, ammunition and horses were sent from Maribyrnong to the war front in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.
During the First World War, the site continued to develop with expansion into the production of artillery cordite and initiating explosives. The chemicals used to produce cordite, including glycerine, cellulose and methanol, had been imported from Britain and, as a result of World War I, local companies were encouraged to produce these chemicals, creating a local chemical industry.
In the 1920s, funded by the Commonwealth Munitions Supply Board, the factory expanded its explosives and chemical manufacturing. The factory produced a range of chemicals for the military, and commercially for civilian use, such as oil of mirbane for shoe polish. In 1922, the Munitions Supply Laboratory was established, which later became the Materials Research Laboratory (MRL). By 1930-1933, the factory was the leader in Australian chemical manufacturing and the most technologically sophisticated chemical plant in Australia. In 1935, the factory began to produce solventless cordite for the Australian Navy.
Following the outbreak of World War II, the factory conducted intensive research into the manufacture of new types of explosive. The ammunition filling, cartridge bundling and fuze sections expanded and a new High Explosives Filling Section for naval mines and depth charges was constructed. Underground air-raid shelters and slit trenches were erected in central locations. Maximum explosives production at Maribyrnong occurred during 1942, following massive growth of the factory between 1939 and 1940. The workforce reached over 8,000, with approximately 45% being women. Maribyrnong was the centre of a network of subsidiary factories established around Australia during the war and provided training, equipment proofing and standards testing for the other factories.
At the cessation of hostilities, the Defence Site Maribyrnong changed to explosives recovery and destruction operations, a long process during which the women staff disappeared and were replaced by returned servicemen. The post-war immigration boom saw many new migrants employed and staff turn-over was much higher than seen pre-war. By 1960, new technology and other developments saw the role of the Defence Site Maribyrnong changed to largely producing propellants for rockets, assembly of rocket motors and production of other elements for missiles. The MRL's laboratory activities expanded and spare areas of land were utilised for other government activities, such as Naval Stores, Canteen Services for the Army and Air Force (AAFCANS) and the CSIRO.
By 1980, however, the site was no longer considered suitable for the production of modern explosives and the factory closed in 1994 - All production moved to Mulwala.
THALES group entered the play in 1999 when they purchased half the shares, with the other half going to the Transfield group. In 2006 ThALES took over the lot.
The "Mulwex" 2000 series of powders that we all know as either ADI 2000 series or Benchmark 1 and 2 (also sold by Hodgdon under their various names and numbers) were indeed developed well before THALES got involved and were an Australian government initiative - no doubt done in some heavy cooperation with our good friends and defence partners in the U.S.
